British singer Sam Smith has given Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne a co-writing credit on his single “Stay With Me,” but insists similarities to their 1989 song “I Won’t Back Down” are “a complete coincidence.” The track was released in April, and Petty and Lynne alerted their publishers to similarities between Smith’s single and their song, which was performed by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. According to Britain’s The Sun newspaper, both parties settled the copyright dispute out of court in October, and a representative for Smith has now confirmed the news.
